Category: self help

Know you who are: live like it matters, is a christian filled book written by a former professional American football quarterback and current professional baseball outfielder in the New York Mets organisation, Tim Tebow. It is a ‘homeschoolers interactive guide to discovering your true identity.’

In Know Who You Are. Live Like It Matters, he shares the wisdom he’s learned—not from what the world says, but from what God says in His Word.

There are 36 sessions that Tim shares with you to share his deep-rooted faith with those that need just a little encouragement, and want the need of a purpose-filled life.

Tim’s Guide has 4 Parts with 9 Lessons in Each part

Part 1: Who Are You? (Learning about the source of your identity)
Part 2: Don’t Sweat It; God’s Got It (You’ll uncover guidance when the going in life gets tough)
Part 3: Others Matter (Relationships are important.)
Part 4: Live Bigger (Learning why and how to live in a way that impacts eternity.)

Topics include:

* Building godly character
* Maintaining great relationships
* Standing out from the crowd
* Doing things that matter in the big picture

but we are going to cover only the following which is Part 1 of the book, on asking a simple question.

Before we get started with Part 1, here is a note from Tim:

“You and I have something in common. We may share similar traits I don’t know about, but here’s what I do know: I was homeschooled, just like you! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate my parents for making a personal investment in my education. One of the things I loved about being homeschooled was being able to focus on the things I was passionate about and how much time it left for things I loved, like sports and exercise.

Here’s something you may not know: my mom and dad decided to homeschool my two brothers, my two sisters, and me before people even knew what homeschooling meant. At the time, some people thought they were nuts. Some wondered if homeschooling was evenlegal! But despite the challenges they faced, it was worth it. Mom and Dad’s careful and thoughtful instruction helped educate my siblings and me. Each one of us was even blessed to receive a college scholarship!

I know being homeschooled may not be the easiest thing in the world, so I wanted to write a book just for you. I’d like to encourage you in your studies by offering some lessons I’ve learned in my personal journey, lessons I want you to be a part of. I want this book to be about you: digging deep to find out who you are and what that means in real life.

You may or may not know this already, but writing is powerful. In fact, an esteemed professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin studied the impact of journaling. Through a handfulof studies, this expert found that expressive writing in a personal and meaningful way positively impacts health, well-being, and self-development. It can put us in a better mood. It can help us process tough situations. It can challenge us to make good changes. It can pave the way for a more impactful future.

Knowing how journaling can be a great tool for self-reflection, I decided to write Know Who You Are. Live Like It Matters. just for homeschool students. You may think you don’t like writing or that it doesn’t come easy for you. That’s okay! As we travel together through the course of this book, writing will become easier. And you may even discover it’s one of your passions!

Here’s what you’ll find in the following pages. Each week for the next thirty-six weeks, I offer a verse from the Bible and a lesson that helps illustrate that verse. Each teaching ends with a section titled “In Your Own Words.” This is your opportunity to reflect on what you’ve learned. You can connect what I talk about with what’s going on in your life. Use my questions as prompts to fuel your thoughts.”

Lately I have become a penchant for solitude, quietude and practicing a lot of mindfulness. There are a lot of books out there on learning how to use your quiet time to reflect on what is more important in life. For example, taking the time out to read a novel or the bible when no one is around, and its just you in the room. I have really been into podcasts lately, and also will post a favourites post in the future of what I take my time to listen to!

“How to pursue your dreams when no-one is around you”

When you feel like you are alone and have no one to share your life-long goals and dreams with and feel like nobody cares, the first thing you actually need to do is to spend time with yourself before you can create a group of friends or network support.

So, how do we go about this?

Let me share with you my tips on when I have my own quiet time and take the time to renew, and rejuvenate my lifestyle.

I recently bought a new magazine…… and I am IN LOVE with it…… I am basically copying from the book, but this is practical, and a huge guidance for you if you want to find purpose in everything that you do. Whether you’re a full-time working mum, single entrepreneur, starting your own small business, or creating ideas for a future business, or even if you want to find out anything about yourself when applying your own qualities to life itself.

The Book of Esther is an exciting account which gives us insight into God’s remarkable and purposeful plan for our lives. The story gives us some powerful lessons about courage, divine timing and God’s love. As The Old Testament reveals, Esther is a Jewish woman living in Persia and brought up by her cousin, Mordecai. She was taken to the King of the Persian Empire to be his concubine—but because he believed there was unique about Esther, he made her queen. However, Mordecai didn’t tell the king about a primary concern —Esther was of Jewish heritage.Continue reading “Life Lessons from the future Queen Esther”→

1. Write with instrumental music playing in the background. I recently saw an informal survey that found those who listened to music while writing were able to write more words per day than those who didn’t. I like to write with instrumental praise music or movie soundtracks playing in the background. Some of my favorite soundtracks are Prince of Tides, The Cider House Rules, and Little Women. You can even download the Original Music from the television series soundtrack, Downton Abbey, and there is a CD called “The Ultimate Collection”. It has music from all Six Seasons.

ReadColossians 4:2-18. Anything in particular interesting to you in this passage?

Remembering the rest of the letter you have already studied, why do you think Paul tells the Colossians to be devoted to prayer, keeping watchful or alert?

Focus on the Meaning: In prayer we call on God to work, and we express our faith in Him.

The Christian who does not pray is demonstrating independence from God (John 15:5). The accompanying exhortation to ‘keep awake, be on the alert’ (gregoreo) is drawn from the imagery of guard duty (Nehemiah 7:3; Mark 14:34, 37).

Read verse 2 again. What is to be our “attitude” in prayer?

How do you think your attitude can make a difference in your prayer life?

Relate this to what you learned in Colossians 3:15-17

Scriptural Insight:The repeated emphasis on thanksgiving makes this epistle one of the most “thankful” books in the New Testament (1:3, 12; 2:7; 3:17; 4:2)

Staying Healthy: Is there something that you are praying for today? How can you have an attitude of thanksgiving? List at least three things for which you can be thankful in your circumstance/situation.

For what two things does Paul ask in Colossians 4:3?

Why is it so important for Paul to be able to proclaim the gospel clearly?

See also Ephesians 6:19-20and 2 Timothy 4:2-3

How can we be “wise” toward those that don’t believe?

Ephesians 5:3-20

Thessalonians 4:1-12

1 Peter 2:13-17

What do you think Paul means when he says we should make the most of every opportunity?

What does it mean to have your conversation be full of grace, in a sense “seasoned with salt?”

Examine what is said in Colossians 3:12-17 and Ephesians 4:29, 30 to derive your answer.

Focus on the Meaning: “Speech most effectively expresses what is inside the believer. The Christian’s speech should mirror the gracious character and conduct of his or her God by demonstrating love, patience, sacrifice, undeserved favor, etc. Salt probably represented both attractiveness, since salt makes food wholesome, since salt was a preservative that retarded corruption in food…one should wisely suit his or her speech to each need.”

Why would you want to watch your words?

Staying Healthy: Does your speech mirror the gracious character and conduct of your Lord? Ask your Lord to reveal to you speech that doesn’t mirror Him and trust Him to help you replace it with grace-filled speech.

Staying Healthy: Are you praying daily for an open door in which to share the gospel with someone? If someone asked you what the “gospel” or the “Good News” is, would you be able to tell them?

Write down simply the content of the Gospel message that you would need to communicate to win someone to Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Romans 10:9-10

What skills or information do you need to sharpen up?

ReadColossians 4:2-18

Looking specifically at verses 7-18, view these names as representing real people with real functions in their world.

Beside each name, give Paul’s comments about the person and their function in the ministry. Follow cross-references to see what else is mentioned about them.

Tychicus
Onesimus
Aristarchus
Mark
Barnabas
Jesus Justus
Epaphras
Luke
Demas
Laodicean brothers
Nympha
Archippus
In this passage, we see one of the ways women were very important to the establishment of the early church.

See also Romans 16:3-5 and 1 Corinthians 16:19

What do you think Nympha’s and Priscilla’s ministry involved for her?

Staying Healthy: Your home is one of your most valuable assets for ministry. Is your home used in any way for a faith-filled environment? If not, why not? What is holding you back?

The following article I did is featured on Taylor Magazine, an online London magazine that is a minimalistic guide to life, which is “Taylored for you”. From articles that speak about the matters of the heart, celebrity interviews, Life, conversations, culture, and they also include favourite books! Which is the category that I chose! According to their About page, Taylor was born out of the need to have something that combines EVERYTHING that consumes our world. Something that is taylored specifically for you.

I am currently reading a book called “Enjoy – Finding the freedom to delight in God’s good gifts” by Trillia Newbell. I received this book from ‘Blogging for books’. I have done two book reviews so far, “How to own it” by Sallie Krawcheck, and “The Women of Easter” by Liz Curtis Higgs. I thoroughly enjoyed writing these, and have been looking forward to doing a different book. “Enjoy” is a faith-filled illustrative, scriptural based book on experiencing the fullness of life, and truly learning how to enjoy life in general. They cover the basis with scripture such as 1 Thessalonians that says to “rejoice always”.

They also reveal that joy is a fruit of the spirit – something that is developed and nurtured within us. I was a little unsure of doing a review on a Christian book, because some people aren’t religious, and it caters to people who believe in the Holy Bible. I was brought up in a Christian home, so I find this kind of reading therapeutic for me personally. I like how they talk about gifts, gifts He intends for our enjoyment. We have been given gifts in life. For example, I am truly learning the gift of writing. Growing up, I did love my books, and relished in an Enid Blyton story, but I honestly never thought I would create my own website, and write personal stories on my blog. This happened during my late twenties, when living in a small country town called Merredin, so it became a creative outlet for me to break out, and just write.

We can experience the fullness of enjoyment as we use our gifts daily. We can and should ‘enjoy, delight and rejoice’!

Have you struggled with enjoying things in life, such as gardening, or just sitting down in your lounge and reading a good novel, or listening to classical music?

Sometimes we feel confused about the significance and purpose of leisure, but it is really quite simple. Turn on the radio, and dance your heart out, or sing to your hearts content. It is with learning to enjoy, recognize and appreciating things like leisure that you learn to see more clearly, and more passionately.

I particularly like how they say in the first chapter that there must be purpose in order for us to make sense of the world, and that we can easily fall into the snare of discontentment. It would make life hard to live if you are not feeling content with yourself. Life was created for us to enjoy, so, do things for yourself that would truly make you feel a sense of joy.

Through this book you can gain a deeper understanding of what it means to delight in good things, and to simply, enjoy your life. I also like how they created an “Enjoy Project” as a tool where there is a list of suggestions at the end of each chapter, and you can decide which suggestions you would like to do, such as journalling and you can write down if it was effective or enjoyable. For example, they put ‘start a blog series’, when I started blogging I felt a sense of joy and achievement from typing and it was out of pure joy that I started doing it.

If you do something similar to this, or just writing anything down in a journal, you will feel challenged, encouraged and inspired. We are not called to do life on our own, we are created to also work together and have relationships where we can sit down and talk to one another sharing our goals and dreams and aspirations for the future. That is one of the best things you could ever do, is get with people and talk about what you want to do with your life, and then truly embrace your god given talents. Our goal can also be to learn what it truly means to enjoy. Maybe create a random encouragement card to someone that you admire – investing in other people is worthwhile.

I love how at the end of every chapter there is a section/list on what you can do to create that joy, for example, scheduling a coffee date with a friend, making a meal for someone, or making certain lists. And each chapter starts out with an inspirational quote, which is pleasant to start off with.

I particularly liked Chapter Nine, which is called “The Art of Life” opening up with the sentence, “It’s interesting how something can be so central to your everyday life and then gradually fade away”. I have had this in the area of friendship specifically, and also when playing an instrument. My life was focused on piano playing for about eight years, but over the past few years I have forgotten what its like to sit down, and let my fingers tap away with such joy in my heart, and I miss those days. Sometimes life gets in the way of enjoyment and it is important for us to delight in everything that we do. If certain obstacles prevent us from fulfilling our dreams it is easy to fall into the trap of self-pity, we need to put our hope into pursuing and cultivating a great life for ourselves. This chapter really stood out to me because it’s so easy to get lost along the way that you forget to truly enjoy life.

You can delight in a variety of things, and I particularly liked that chapter because it talks about the arts. I delight in painting and music, and theatre, so it really stood out to me.

Last, but not least, the last chapter called “Everlasting Enjoyment” focuses on the spiritual side of things, delighting in not only the here and now, but looking forward to the future, and it talks about faith and hope. To be truly complete, you must have hope. I particularly like how they use scripture such as Romans 5:35 how it says that ‘suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope’, and especially it ends with a C. S. Lewis quote: “For the present is the point at which time touches eternity.

So, I hope that even if you don’t read this book, that you have learnt something to truly learn to enjoy your life by doing things that you love.

I don’t just want to write a list, and be over and done with it. I want to motivate you. I want to inspire you, and help you dig deeper and deeper into getting your blog on its way. That’s if you are deciding whether to start one, or you have just started and don’t know what to do next!

If you didn’t get the chance to watch this video, I thought that I would write a few things that Beth mentions, and I particularly loved this video as it hones in on the mind, and not just in general, but spiritually what can happen with the mind, and the amazing, interesting, and fascinating capabilities that it has. I am absolutely impressed with Beth Moore’s seminar here, and I thought I would share it with you. I actually didn’t plan on this, but came across someone else’s blog, and wondered how they uploaded videos on their blog.

I have been thinking a lot about the mind lately, and the things that we listen to, or what we take note of in our mind. I love how Beth Moore really grabs hold of our attention through her speaking, and I absolutely love motivational speaking like this.

I really hope you enjoy this video, and really wanted to share because it totally speaks to me. “Thought processes, and the mind is the awareness, and to know what we are doing and why” is interesting, and particularly, mental health is an issue close to my heart. That’s why I support The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s campaign, Heads Together. The Lady Wallace also talks about another issue which I thought was a fantastic piece, you will be touched, and moved by her sincerity and genuine thoughts on #itsokaytosay.

Depressions, anxiety, specific things like this has become so much a great deal, and I have had my own mental circumstances, which I have the passion and zeal to bring something into activation, and engage with people on things that matter.

You can COMPLETELY change your mind. We can literally, really change our minds.

We can change the direction and path of our life if we allow ourselves to renew our minds. There are numbers of books, especially at Koorong, or Word Bookstores that hold manuscripts on christian beliefs that help and assist with the mind. One book that I think of that I haven’t actually read yet, but really want to is The Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer. It actively focuses on the renewing of the mind, and Joyce Meyer helps with changing the way you think. The book is roughly around $15, or you can find it at your local library. It is at most christian bookstores, as it is a number one bestseller.

“Power thoughts” is another book I want to get, as it talks more about the achievements that your mind can make in life. I particularly love this subject as we all have a mind that gets carried away with negative thought patterns, or doubts that make us think, ‘I can’t do that’, ‘I’m not smart enough’, ‘I will never be able to shed 20 kilos again’ – things like this really take its toll, and I have a genuine passion to help, and encourage young ladies to really grab hold onto the thoughts, and motivational speaking from Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, even if you have found someone else that you love hearing, it doesn’t matter.

I want to take captive my thoughts. I want to get rid of those strongholds, and release and be free from these negative things that control my mind. Unforgiveness, resentment, rejection, any of these could be apart of your life, that you can (maybe not fully change), but you are capable of living victoriously. You can walk without having any kind of sin having dominion over you.

Here are some scriptures that you can find in the bible that may help:

I don’t know about you, but I want to ‘renew‘ my mind, and use it as a powerful tool, and work it because God has given me a mind, I didn’t create it, so I want to use my unlimited capacity, and go further and further and deeper and deeper into life, and learn so much.

Our minds are capable of doing so much. I want a lot out of life, and I want to grow even more spiritually, and personally, so I learn to shut off my computer, phone, social media, and take some quiet time – whether if it’s with God, or not – taking time to switch off really helps. Learn to do this either weekly or monthly and you will have a happier, healthy life.

Keep in ‘mind’ that you have a brilliant mind, and BELIEVE it. Take the time to renew.

A physiological thing is happening in our brains constantly. We keep thinking the same patterns/thing over and over again at times where we need to decide HOW we are going to think and what path you are going to tread.

Whatever your life is, I encourage you to take the time throughout the day, create a habit, or choose the morning or night, to sit and read something inspirational or motivational, like your bible, or a women’s christian devotion or book, to help to change the way you think and feel. We have the capability to know the thoughts we think. We can change our minds, and that will change our hearts.

Here I want to share with you 5 things that I believe will change your life when it comes to pursuing your dreams and living the life you imagine. I almost forgot about my piece called, Dare to dream, and half the stuff I don’t even think I have done, but putting plans and goals in place, (which is what I will flesh out on a bit more later on) is a milestone, and achievement. Gee, I think I say that word ALOT! Whatever it is you have been dreaming, it is time to look at what you can do to start LIVING IT!

Recent Posts: Penguin Blog

Our brand new website is here and it’s the place to go for all things bookish. This means that we won’t be posting any new updates on the Penguin Blog, instead we’ve moved all your favourite articles, interviews, and extracts to http://www.penguin.co.uk and will host all the latest news and exclusive content here. Watch our video below for a look at what you can find there.

Never fear, Penguin Life is here with a series of fabulous talks and events designed to get you to make the most of your 2016 resolutions and live life better whether that’s at home, work or play across the whole year.

You can be happier, healthier and slimmer in just 15 minutes a day with the superb advice from The Feel Good Plan, by celebrity trainer Dalton Wong and health writer Kate Faithfull-Williams. Here’s an extract that shows you how to relax and refocus at work.

It’s the small, everyday things that make a difference and contribute to a happier, more fulfilled life. Writers from The Book of You﻿ have chosen some of their favourite micro-actions that you can easily put into practice for a sunnier, more contented you.